White supremacist activists have been slammed after draping a huge "White Lives Matter" banner over Dundee Law.
Images shared with the Record show the large banner hung on the outside of a barrier beside the large war memorial that dominates the city skyline. The memorial commemorates those who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars and can be seen from across the city.
No-one has claimed responsibility for hanging the banner. However, it is believed to be the work of Patriotic Alternative, a far-right white nationalist group which has taken credit for other similar signs elsewhere in Scotland.
It was reported to Dundee City Council and has been removed since first appearing at the weekend. Local politicians have hit out at the "racist and calculated" notice.
John Alexander, leader of the SNP-controlled Dundee City Council, said: “Council officers have checked the site and I am relieved that there is no trace remaining of this banner. I am saddened to see these slogans appearing at prominent locations in Scotland.
“It is an attempt most often by the far-right to trivialise, excuse and ignore the discrimination, hate and violence endured by people of colour. Our city is a welcoming and tolerant place and that is something that the people of Dundee are proud of.”
The banner references the anti-racist Black Lives Matter campaign, which was ignited by the killings of several Black people in the United States but has since become a worldwide movement opposing racist discrimination. Patriotic Alternative, which has been linked to a number of far-right and neo-Nazi organisations, has enacted similar stunts in the past, unveiling a White Lives Matter banner atop Ben Nevis in 2021.
Councillor Nadia El-Nakla, who serves as the city council's equalities spokesperson, added: “No one has said white lives don’t matter. The conversation right now is specifically about black lives because since colonisation until present day, black people have been tortured, enslaved, abused and killed by white people.
“Until systematic racism is dismantled and it is no longer dismissed, the activism of the Black Lives Matter movement will continue. Just today a shocking statistic emerged that over a two-year period the Metropolitan Police strip searched 660 children, the majority innocent of the suspicion against them with 58% of these children were black.
"Denying racism and hijacking an anti-racist movement is racist and calculated. It will not be tolerated in Dundee.”
Police Scotland was contacted for comment.
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